Zatch Bell: Introductions
by MilesTailsPrower-007
Summary: The story of how Professor Seitaro Takamine and Zatch met in the first place. Just who is this strange boy, and why can't he remember anything? Perhaps the red book has something to do with it... Contains no fancharacters or pairings. Canon as possible.
1. Chapter I

_**Author's Note: **This is basically the story of how Seitaro Takamine (Kiyo's father) and Zatch became aquainted in the first place. Of course, the book/show didn't show everything, so some of it was made up by me, but I tried to make it sound accurate.I'm keepingallthe basic 'finishing points', which were what appeared in the actual series.Thank you for reading!_

_:P_

* * *

_PART I:_

The fresh greenery of the open fields rolled out all around Seitaro; down from the hills, stretching out far beyond what he could even see. The sun was smiling pleasantly from the serene cloudless sky, and the afternoon sunshine was shining tirelessly on the landscape below. The university was far behind him, and so were his agendas and papers to read over. This was what was ahead of him; a good solid three days of freedom. This day was the ideal one for a walk through the countryside. The other days could help him ensure his work would be set up for when he had to resume it. He took his time, marvelling thoughtlessly as he went. The fields in the countryside of England were lovely at this time of day... Taking a stroll like this reminded him of his dear wife at home in Japan. She enjoyed taking walks alone with him on the odd time he managed to make it back. Ah, the thought of her dear smile and her strict but caring voice. Seitaro smiled at the thought of her, imagining her standing in the kitchen wearing her tidy white apron. And another thought came to mind. His son.

Kiyo.

Without even thinking about it, he frowned slightly. He now wondered how the boy was faring. Kiyo had become decreasingly interested in school, and exceedingly uninterested in making friends or socializing. He was smart, but his intellect seemed to have spoiled him. Seitaro wished something could be done, but with the distance between himself and his son, there was little he could do on his own. He and his wife even avoided discussion of it on the phone. And Kiyo's bitterness towards others was just growing slowly all the while.

"Hmmmm... better not to think about that," he muttered quietly, walking on. "Not today." He squinted forward. A forest stood almost centered in the flatness of the land, thick and wild and bushy. Nonetheless, it was shade from the relentless sunshine, and so it would be a suitable place for a stroll. He hadn't heard an ill word about this countryside; it was almost like nothing could go wrong here, far from the bustle of London's busy streets. The forest neared; its lush shadiness was almost starting to become too tempting. Wearing his ridiculous suit, Seitaro had to admit it was growing much too hot for him to cope with. This forest would be a nice change of temperature, at the least, and the farmers in the area had never said a word about dangers creatures living in such a place. It didn't look much like a danger, anyway. A tad bit wild, but given it was part of nature, that was to be expected.

Wandering in, there appeared to be vague pathways. He suspected people had come through before. It didn't seem unlikely, as this seemed to be the type of place people would be keen on exploring. It wasn't quite as dense as he'd previously imagined from a distance. It was comfortable, really. Birds chirped above him, unseen in the tangle of branches overheard. Sunlight filtered through here and there, providing reasonable light, but the branches provided shade that fought the heat. Small animals were common. Several times, he turned to see squirrels scamper from sight, or a rabbit dart beneath a bush. This was the kind of thing the streets of London lacked. There was a serene feeling all throughout this forest, peaceful and gentle and old, like kind elderly woman. The trees themselves looked to be ancient, untouched by farmers or construction workers. This was untouched and beautiful. Even alone, he didn't feel concerned about walking through, and the forest seemed to welcome him more than hint at ominous presence.

Seitaro spent a good deal of time taking in the calming sights of nature. What a good way to spend a day away from that university! After a good while, though, he assumed it was probably reaching into the late afternoon, and he likely ought to head back into the city. At the very least, he had put his mind at complete ease. Reaching what he deemed to be a good stopping point, he decided to head back. It was fairly open here. Several particularly thick trees sat nearby, gnarled and tall. Another squirrel dashed nervously up a tree. He followed it with his eyes. Heh. Nervous little things... Taking a last look around, he decided he would head back. But...out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something red. The professor let his eyes move back to that spot. A book. A red book.

...In the middle of a forest?

However, it was not the book at was alarming, not in the slightest. Next to it lay a small figure, like a rumbled doll, unmoving. His senses snapped back into gear. Was that a kid? Here? He watched almost uncertainly for another few seconds. No visible sign of breathing. Instantly concerned at the strangeness of this random event, he rushed over. He had been right. It was a child. A small boy with blonde hair lay unmoving. He was hardly breathing. Alarmed at this, Seitaro fumbled to pick him up and feel for a pulse. One hardly exsisted and only a vague beat sounded against his waiting fingers. Bruised, scraped and just about dead, this kid was certainly in no shape to wait up for further help. The professor's heart drummed against his chest anxiously. He would have to deal with this on his own. He got a good hold on the boy in his arms, picked up the peculiar red book, and without another through to it, raced back from whence he'd come. The university was much closer than the hospital. They had a better chance just to get back there first, he convinced himself... if the boy could hold on for that long.

What had seemed like a good walk now seemed like a cruel run in his stiff clothing. If he could make it to the car within reasonable time, maybe things would work out. It was worth a try.

* * *

The university halls had rendered themselves as almost completely desolate. Slightly disheveled, Professor Takamine reached his office. This would have to do for now. He lived in an apartment complex not far away, but even that seemed like a stretch. Gently setting the boy down on the normally obscured sofa by the window, he considered what could be done. He could try to mend the child as best as he could on his own, as he was a professor of archeology, that might not amount to much. Still, with basic first-aid skills he managed to treat the kid for shock as well as bandage up some of his injuries. Seitaro considered that possibly, if this boy were to wake up, he could explain what he'd been doing in the forest in the first place. What on earth would attack such a small child? A truly awful thought. The thought of harm coming to his own son made him sick. Gently rubbing smudges from the blonde boy's face, he frowned. A black vertical line ran down each cheek from directly under each eye. What's more, the lines were irremovable. Silent sunbeams passed through the windows, and the lingering light played across the floor and over the strange little figure. Already, his condition seemed to have improved. He was breathing recognizably now. Maybe Seitaro could wait until the next morning before bringing him to a hospital, in case. He looked like he was recovering fairly well... It couldn't have been all that long, either, could it?

Seitaro rose to his feet almost hesitantly and moved toward his desk. He could begin putting day plans together for classes with this extra time. Despite, he couldn't help but glance up over his paperwork now and then, just to watch the strange boy. He was dressed a little funny, too. They were clothes he'd never seen anywhere else. Made of a dark bluish material, they ran right down to about his ankles. They weren't robes as they lacked sleeves of any kind, and almost seemed like some form of peculiar dress. There was a broad bow in the front as well. A dress for a boy? Hmm. Even still, the outfit suited him oddly well, and managed somehow to be devoid of extreme femininity. He recollected his thoughts, resuming the task at hand. He had intended to take his class up a notch; the students in it seemed to be more advanced than he'd thought they'd get in a semester. Maybe some more advanced lessons could be in order then.

As he considered this, the professor let his eyes wander around the room a little, across his bookshelves filled with texts, along the heiroglypic posters, and ultimately winding up set on the mysterious red book. He'd forgotten about it, in all earnest. With the whole rush of making sure that kid was alright, he hadn't cared much as to where he'd put the book. It lay on the floor by the foot of one of several bookshelves, staring at the ceiling with its bold red face. Now that he thought about it, maybe that book might give him a hint or two as to what that kid had been doing when he'd been... maimed. A good idea. Pushing himself back from the desk, Seitaro walked across the room and knelt down to pick it up. The cover bore a strange symbol. Five circles interconnected by a single line that bounced off into different angles just to touch all five. There was no legible title. In a decorative rectangle at the top, there appeared to be two words, written in some strange rune. He focused on it momentarily, trying to figure out what it looked like. Those certainly weren't runes he recognized just off the top of his head. He picked up the hard-bound volume and flipped through it. He recognized nothing. It was all just page after page of the same unreadable runes written in blue. "Hmmm," he said aloud.

Rising to his feet, Professor Takamine plucked a book off his shelf, and with both books in hand, returned to his desk. In the reference text, he could find nothing at looked even remotely like the unidentifiable runes in the peculiar red book. He wasn't even sure they could be called 'runes'. No exsisting language he was aware of looked like this, and he couldn't make out a single word of it. Could that child somehow be capable of reading these words..? Maybe he didn't even speak English... Not yet ready to give up, the professor ended up searching through several other reference books before ultimately concluding that he had never studied anything like this. Where could this book have come from? Surely runes of this sort had to be hundreds or even thousands of years old, didn't they? There couldn't be an exsisting society that still wrote by means such as this. But... this book didn't look old at all. In fact, it looked quite the opposite. It looked virtually untouched, for the exception of some scuffs. Pushing the red book to the corner of his desk, Seitaro resumed his work.

Over the next two days, Professor Takamine did the best he could to nurse the boy back to health by his own means. He recovered surprisingly well, especially considering the shape he'd been in when he'd been found back in the forest. However, the professor soon wouldn't be able to committ as much time to this good cause, because regular class times would resume after the break. He wouldn't be able to spend nearly as much time in his office. He felt bad about having to leave at night, but what else could be done? He was at the university late most of the time, staying in until early morning to fully complete lesson plans and revise material he planned to go over with his archeology class. And still, that strange red book sat on the corner of his desk, mysterious and unreadable. Occassionally, he'd spend a few minutes looking through it, studying the runes as if to distinguish some sort of pattern, but he could see none. Just a jumble of rune-like symbols filling page after page, staring at him in bold blue.

On the third day, another professor asked him to join him in his office for a bit of refreshing conversation and some coffee. Having been alone for the mostpart of the past several days, Professor Takamine agreed, leaving his office. And coincidentally, it was on this third day while the professor was out that the strange blonde haired boy awoke. He rubbed at his head, feeling groggy and a little bit strange, but fine other than that. Where was he..? As far as he could gather, he was in a large room. Wooden shelves lined the walls filled with countless books. A window just behind himself cast sunshine onto the polished tile floor. The place seemed tidy and cozy, but at the same time bore an air of strictness. It was quiet. Surveying the room again, the boy came to the conclusion that he was the only one here. But... what was he _doing_ here? And how did he get there in the first place? He recognized nothing. As a matter of fact, he couldn't remember what he'd been doing prior to coming here. Funny. Getting up cautiously, he checked around again. Nobody at all. He wandered carefully around the room, not wanting to disturb anything. The desk was piled with several intermediate text books and a neat stack of paper. On the corner sat a misfit book, different than the others. The cover was red. Something about it was vaguely familiar... but...

Curious, the boy managed to get the book off the desk without disrupting its surroundings. Looking at it was like chasing a lost thought, as though he could remember and couldn't all at the same time. His head was overcome by a rush of confusion as his mind chased after anything that could be a fragment of memory pertaining to this funny book; as though it were on the tip of his tongue and yet he was still incapable of saying whether of not he recognized its strange cover. He could remember nothing. Maybe he'd just _thought_ it looked familiar. Pushing it carefully back onto the desktop, he decided to leave it alone for now and continue investigating this new and unfamiliar scenery. He looked around. It was a very well-kept place. Nothing appeared to ever stray out of order. It had a distinctly intellectual feel to it, as well. The books, the posters, the globe... Everything seemed to have a proper place to be in, and everything seemed to follow a preference. Most of the furniture was varnished wood. The desk intruiged him the most, however. It had the most personality because it was the most cluttered thing in the entire room. The boy looked it over again, getting up on the chair to give himself a better view. Tucked under the edge of a text on heiroglyphs, the corner of a photo was just visible. He pushed the book aside carefully, looking at the picture. A dark haired man with glasss and ripple haired woman with what appeared to be their small son. He smiled a little at the picture. It was nice.

But the book caught his eye again. He picked it up in both hands, looking it over. Its funny design didn't even come remotely close to matching the other books on the desk. The others were so much more... uniform. This was not. But still, looking at it gave him a funny feeling, like the sensation of a fleeting memory. Engaged in staring at this confusing volume, the boy was unaware of approaching voices from just outside in the hall. They grew closer, and suddenly the door to the room was unlocked and opened. Startled, the boy snapped out of his void of thought and the red book slipped from his hands, landing loudly on the desktop again. He froze.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" he blurted suddenly.

A man in glasses stood in the doorway. The boy recognized him immediatly as the man who had been in the photo. Behind him stood another man who appeared older. His hair was starting to grey. The dark haired man with the glasses didn't appear upset, however. He merely smiled. "I'll have to leave the rest of the conversation for another time, Hyato," he said to the man behind him. "It seems something has just come up with a friend here."

"Ah, very well," said the older gentleman with an understanding nod. "Have a nice day."

The glasses man returned his gaze to the boy, who realised now he was still standing on that chair. He immediatly tried to put the book back where he'd found it and hopped down. The man was watching him with intent interest. "You don't have to be afraid," he said reassuringly. "I brought you here. It's alright."

"Oh. I'm sorry about the book."

"Don't be!" said the man, smiling benevolently. "It's yours. I found it with you." He didn't explain further, and strode into the room. "I'm Professor Seitaro Takamine. Nice to meet you! What's your name, son?"

Feeling much better about the situation as a whole, the boy smiled widely back. "Me?" The was a small pause. "I'm... I'm Zatch Bell! Nice to meet you, professor!"

At least they had that much established. Seitaro gave a nod. This boy, Zatch Bell, seemed even more strange now that he was awake. However doll-like he had appeared before, the trait seemed much more emphasized with his eyes open. They were wide and curious, and also an alarmingly electric shade of orange. His smile was animate and sweet, filled with enthusiasm. "So, Zatch," said Professor Takamine, dragging his chair away from his desk and sitting down, still facing the child. "How do you feel?"

"Just fine sir," said Zatch. He certainly wasn't shy, but he didn't seem braisin, either. "I felt a little funny when I got up, but I'm okay now!"

"Well, that's good." The professor folded his hands serenely. "I found you three days ago in a forest not too far from here," he began, his tone becoming earnest. "You were dying. I brought you back here, and with a little help, you seem to have recovered remarkably fast. Do you remember why you were there in the first place?"

Zatch thought about this. There was a mysteriously large void in his memory. What _was_ he doing in a forest? He didn't remember any forest. To be honest, he didn't remember much of anything. Suddenly the feeling he got when looking at that book became rather desirable. It would have been a decided improvement over the way he felt now. He couldn't remember a thing, and that's all there was to it. He shook his head. "I... no. I don't remember anything," he answered, although he almost didn't want to believe it himself. "All I can remember is my name."

Professor Takamine frowned slightly and picked the book up off the desk. "You're sure you don't remember this book?"

Zatch shook his head again. "Nope."

The man set it down on his lap and opened it to a random page near the middle. "It's strange. When I found you with this book, I thought that you might be able to read it. I study all sorts of things like this. I took archaeology in university and I study runes as a hobby sometimes, but this... This, I can't read. Do you recognise this language?" He held the book up so that its strange blue writing faced the blonde boy.

"I can't read any of it," replied Zatch honestly. "I don't even know where I came from."

"This isn't very good at all, then," Seitaro Takamine said. "I thought that possibly this book would help you to find your way home. However, I can't read it, and you can't read it either, nor can you remember anything about who you are or where you come from. Do you know your parents' names, perhaps?"

"Nothing, sir. I just don't remember."

"It sounds to me like when you got hurt, you must have hit your head or something." He sighed, pushing up his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I guess that means you'll have to stay with me, then. I could use some company." The professor smiled. If Zatch had nowhere to go, he could at least offer him a place to stay until the could think of some means by which to rectify the situation. "The semester will be resuming shortly, however," he added. "Hopefully we can figure out what to do with you before then, hmm?"

"Really? You'd let me stay with you?" Zatch looked genuinely surprised.

The professor smiled at him. He was reminded a little of his own son Kiyo, back when he was younger. "Yes, really. Somehow, you'll find your way home. And I mean it."

* * *


	2. Chapter II

_**Author's Note: **Tadaaa:D_

_I guess I'll just make multiple parts. I was originally only going to do two, but this way results in faster posting. Cheers to anyone who picks up the "special" line I threw in there. Thanks for reading! Take care:)_

* * *

Professor Takamine tried not to be concerned in the least that this was his last day off from work. He would make the best of it. Zatch couldn't get into a lot of trouble by himself, could he? After all, he was just a little boy. Besides, he'd been roughed up and couldn't remember a thing. How much trouble could he be? With the last of the afternoon, the two went out for a walk in a quieter part of London. Filled with wonderment and youthful curiosity, everything was new and exciting to Zatch. He marveled at just about everything. "Wow!" he exclaimed, seeing the Big Ben from afar, its tower standing proud and tall above all other buildings. "Is everything here as cool as that?"

Seitaro chuckled lightly. "Not quite everything, Zatch," he said.

They wandered through town in a free manner, stopping here and there to look at whatever managed to catch Zatch's eye-- which, of course, turned out to be a lot of things. Even after awhile, the boy's enthusiasm remained eminent, but he became increasingly curious about the professor as well and frequently started to ask about things besides the scenery. If they were going to be together awhile, it was probably better to understand one another, despite that Zatch could remember almost nothing about himself.

"Professor," he started cheerily for what had to be the hundredth time, "did you always live here in London?"

"I didn't," replied the other as they passed a little girl who was screaming loudly to her mother that she wanted ice cream. "I came from Japan. My wife and son still live there, though, and I'd like to visit more than I do, but I haven't got many ideal opportunities to go. Besides that, it gets a little pricy." Almost absent mindedly, he bought ice cream for himself and Zatch at the next vendor that sold frozen treats. Thankfully strawberry suited them both just fine, as he'd actually forgotten to ask for Zatch's preference. Kiyo had always liked strawberry when he was little.

"Wow!" the boy responded. "You mean you came from far away just to teach here?"

"Heh, well, sort of."

Zatch smiled, ice cream already smudged on half of his face. "Your students must be really lucky then, to have a teacher who would do that just so he could be here to teach them!" He paused to try and prevent his ice cream from falling off the cone. "What's your son's name?" he asked, wiping off his hand on the side of his dress.

"Kiyo," answered Seitaro, trying to ignore some guy cursing at a car that had 'almost run him down'. "He's a smart boy, but I worry about him sometimes. I wish I could help him, but I'm just so far away." They crossed the street.

"Whaff's wrong wiff him?" his companion asked somewhat incoherently, as he had just stuffed the entire cone into his mouth.

"He's become terribly arrogant, and refuses to do anything with anyone because he seems to feel that they're inferior." He blinked and straightened his glasses with his free hand and finally started eating his ice cream because it was beginning to melt over the side of his hand. He looked down at Zatch. "Would you like to see my apartment?" he asked. It had to be getting close to four or five in the afternoon, if not later.

"Wow! Sure!" Zatch's sheer enthusiasm never seemed to tire out.

Seitaro nodded at him. "Alright. We'll cross to the other side of the street on the way back, though, so that you'll get a better look at everything. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good to me!"

The two of them took their time heading back, and Professor Takamine managed to conquer his strawberry ice cream on the way. It had been awhile since he'd been sightseeing with a child. Kiyo's keen interest with the outside world seemed to have died along with his connection to his peers. Nowadays all the professor could be certain of was that his son spent a great deal of time alone, using his intellect to browse through books and learn more, since he couldn't be bothered to attend school anymore. Piteous, really. It was quite nice to be able to experience enthusiasm like this again. His own son severely lacked it now. In fact, Seitaro could hardly remember the last time he'd spoken to Kiyo for longer than two minutes. As soon as he tried to ask how things were, the boy would unenthusiastically tell him that everything was 'fine', and that he didn't feel like talking about it. Hmm.

He stopped to watch as Zatch began to pursue a leaf that had just blown lazily past his face. The boy seized the leaf in his right hand and carried it with him until they reached the end of the block. By that point, he deemed that a flower box was an appropriate place for his friend the leaf and left it to reside next to a bright red geranium. Despite the warm weather, there were occasional and pleasantly cooling breezes passing through town, and the general atmosphere was very relaxing. Zatch generally never strayed much farther than about ten steps ahead, and they got back to the university in little time at all. Professor Takamine picked up some work that needed to come home with him and hauled it out to the car. Setting it down on the front seat, he smiled apologetically at his guest-to-be. "I hope you understand," he said. "You're a little too short for the front."

Zatch didn't seem to mind. "That's okay!" he replied in his cheery manner, promptly hopping into the back of the black vehicle instead. Seitaro climbed into the front and clicked his seatbelt into place. He heard Zatch do the same. Pulling out of the university parking lot and moving out onto the road, he felt oddly at peace. A feeling that he had forgotten even existed inside him seemed to be dissolving away. A few times, Seitaro had wondered very vaguely if it were possible that Kiyo didn't talk to him much out of dislike. But… somehow, now with Zatch here with his indomitable cheeriness and sweet smile, he had forgotten about it. Memories of his son when he was young were resurfacing in his mind, reminding him of how Kiyo had once liked school and enjoyed being around other children. If only there was a way to make it like that again. If only there was a way for Kiyo to see that people could care about him, and they could learn to see past his intellect. To see that he was really just like them. He shook his head, distilling the thoughts.

"So, Zatch," he began conversationally, "do you like fish?"

"Fish?" repeated Zatch from somewhere behind him.

"Yes. A friend gave me some yellowtail the other day, and I thought I'd make that for dinner tonight. What do you think?"

Quite honestly, Zatch didn't think _anything_. His knowledge of yellowtail went about as deep as what the professor had already stated: that it was fish. Any previous recollection of it was dead in his mind, and so it may as well have been a new thing to him… errr, provided, of course, that he'd had experience with it beforehand in the first place. "That sounds okay to me," replied the boy, fidgeting slightly with his seatbelt. He watched with great interest as scenery went blurring past the windows. "Say, professor?"

"Yes?"

"Is your home far from here?"

"Oh, about fifteen minutes," estimated Seitaro. "It's not a bad drive."

* * *

After awhile of more driving, the apartment came into view. It was a smart looking place; tidy and quiet. Professor Takamine's black car pulled in next to a little red one and came to a smooth halt. A soft breeze danced gracefully through the leaves of a nearby tree that shadowed over part of the parking lot. The professor unloaded his arsenal of work from the car single-handedly, and managed to pull his keys out of his pants pocket. "Alright, Zatch, we're going up now." The boy, looking somewhat impressed by his ability to carry so much with just one arm, nodded. They headed up stairs in general silence, largely because Professor Takamine was concerned that if he stopped focusing he'd drop all of his stuff. The thought of paper flying in every direction was enough to keep him quiet. They headed down a hall and wound up in front of a dark wood door. Seitaro unlocked it as efficiently as he could with one hand, marched into the closest room and heaved the tremendous stack of files, books and paper onto a chair. "Whew. At least that's done with." Setting the keys down on his coffee table, he straightened and looked back at Zatch, who was now surveying his surroundings with great interest. The professor's living quarters were every bit as tidy and well-kept as his office. Again, there was a lot of varnished wooden furniture. The whole place seemed to be the picture-perfect image of what you'd imagine a professor's apartment to look like. Tidy, organized and with a hint of intellect.

"You live here by yourself?" the blonde haired boy asked, looking genuinely surprised.

Seitaro chuckled at him. "Yes, I do." He too paused to let his eyes wander around the room. "Although it seems like I spend most of my time at the university anyway." He walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Zatch, who appeared to be afraid of getting lost in the maze of rooms. It was a large apartment. The clock mounted on the wall above the shiny fridge read 5:23PM. Again, he let his eyes fall back to Zatch, who was now peeking under the table as though expecting to see something lurking underneath it. "I think I'll start on dinner," he said decidedly to the boy, whose attention immediately snapped back and became reaffixed on his companion. "You can go take a look around if you like." He smiled kindly. "Go wherever you want to. For now, this is your home, too, okay?"

Zatch nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! Thank you, sir!" And in an instant, the professor saw the dark hem of his dress disappear around the corner. _Nice kid_, the thought to himself. He peeled off his suit jacket and folded it over the back of a chair. Now if only he could get his own son to learn to be as open about learning about the world around him.

The boy, meanwhile, was entertaining himself by curiously wandering around the apartment. It was big and miraculously tidy. It was fairly obvious that the professor was almost always the only one here. Everything was immaculately clean as a result of his limited time at home in conjunction with the fact that he lived here himself. In addition, there seemed to be more rooms than necessary. Despite his overwhelming interest in discovering the many different rooms, he decided respectfully to stay away from the professor's room. That might be the best idea. This way, he could retain his personal space even with Zatch around. The beige walls of the hallway were neatly garnished with a few nicely centered framed photos, more of what had to be Seitaro Takamine and his family. Zatch was somewhat intrigued by his son. Was that smiling little boy really Kiyo? Professor Takamine hadn't exactly given him a mental image of a cheery little kid with a wide grin when he'd been talking about him before…

Before long, the professor called him back to the kitchen.

"All finished," he declared with a warm smile. "Have a seat."

Zatch nodded and somehow managed to get himself up onto one of the dining room chairs. They sure were tall..! "Thank you!" he said as Professor Takamine set a warm plate down in front of him. The fish smelled superb. So superb, in fact, that Zatch was almost excited about eating it. He had to be polite, though. He waited until his host had sat down across from him before picking up his fork.

"I used to use chopsticks," Seitaro told him, "but over here, the cutlery is far more common. It's better just to get used to it, I thought." He gave an encouraging nod. "Don't be shy, though. Eat as much as you like. You've been through a lot, I'd say."

"Thank you!" Zatch said again, although much more graciously this time. Having to wait before eating that fish was killing him. "It smells wonderful!" He jabbed his fork prong-side down into the fish and promptly stuck the whole thing in his mouth. His whole body practically glowed from the inside at the taste of it. It was like waking up in a grassy field, fresh with morning dew. His already strikingly bright eyes shone. This was quite possibly the most incredible thing he had ever eaten… or could _remember_ eating, anyway. This, he deemed instantly, was now his absolute favorite food in the entire world. Yes. He swallowed it and looked up eagerly at the professor. "W- what did you say this was called?" he asked, trying his best not to drool.

"Yellowtail," Seitaro answered, looking somewhat startled. "I'm glad you like it. Furthermore, I'm glad you didn't _choke_…"

Zatch could hardly contain himself. Eating that fish was probably one of the most pleasant of all experiences he could actually remember. He also felt a new affinity for the professor, being as he'd been the one to give it to him in the first place. Ah, that marvelous, marvelous yellowtail…

* * *

After dinner, Professor Takamine seemed to be slightly at a loss of what to talk about. He explained as much as he could about his job, and about the university, and then answered Zatch's numerous questions pertaining to where exactly Egypt was and how he has managed to learn such complicated stuff. He then asked how to spell 'hieroglyph', and after failing to repeat the spelling more than six times, gave up. The two sat in relative silence in front of the coffee table, where Seitaro had now begun sorting a few folders. "I hope you don't mind, Zatch," he said honestly. "It's just that if I get it out of the way now, then we can do whatever you like. How's that?"

The boy gave him an enthusiastic nod. "Okay!"

"In the meantime," he offered, furthermore, "you can occupy yourself with anything you want. I quite honestly don't mind. There's next to nothing here you could really break, either, so I wouldn't worry." He smiled warmly. Nothing on the face of the earth seemed to be capable of upsetting the professor. Not once so far had even a flicker of frustration or annoyance appeared on his face. Professor Seitaro Takamine was almost infinitely patient.

And as Zatch decided to continue his curious prod around the apartment and Professor Takamine tried to finish some work, they both forgot completely that the red book was still sitting in the kitchen, untouched and unreadable, its red cover staring at the ceiling…

…its contents still as mysterious as its owner.


	3. Chapter III

_**Author's Note: **Aha, I knew I would finish this! Yay. Well, hopefully this is a nice long chunk for you guys to read. From the end of this, cue the first volume of the manga. I wanted them to tie in. I wasn't even going to attempt to explain the bird from the beginning of Volume 1, because up to where I've read, it hasn't really been explained, and I don't want to somehow foul up the canon. Yessirree. So, enjoy! Reviews appreciated a ton:)_

_Oh! And the site won't let be insert breaks, so I'm sorry if you get confused by the miscellaneous time lapses._

In days to follow, Professor Takamine and Zatch found themselves becoming mutually fond of one another. In a way, they were both beneficial to the other's life, too; Zatch provided the professor's life with a little sunny perspective where it was lacking, and the professor offered Zatch sanction until they could figure out what to do with him. He still lacked the better part of his memory, and little was known about him, except for his name and his seemingly new and obvious love of fish. It started to become slightly clearer each day that Zatch was certainly a little on the strange side…

On a warm class-free day, Seitaro proposed he and Zatch go out for a walk to enjoy the scenery. The little boy seemed just as interested as ever about everything around him; people, plants, buildings, cars… And his curiosity never dimmed, almost as though each time he was seeing it for the first time all over again. It was refreshing to see his youth, and it seemed to the professor that just about everyone could use a little of Zatch's view on the world. Maybe it would be a better place, if even just for that. He ran ahead down the paved streets, his peculiar attire billowing freely out behind him in the crisp breeze. It had seemed to be a good idea to show him some of the city's golden features. The River Thames was a proud part of the city. It had been such an important waterway at some point in time that Seitaro thought it a shame to prevent Zatch from seeing it.

"Oh!" the boy exclaimed, his bright eyes shining with almost electric intensity. "It's so big!"

"Haha, that it is, Zatch," said the professor.

Zatch's brow furrowed just slightly in thought for a moment. "Do you think there are fish in there?" he asked somewhat hopefully.

"I wouldn't doubt it," the man smiled. He had missed his own son's enthusiasm for a good while. It seemed like such a long time ago that Kiyo was so innocent and curious like this… He let his mind carry into thought a little too much, however, and before he could realize what was happening, Zatch had already pulled his clothes over his head and made a dash for the water in nothing but his boxers. "Wait!" Takamine called, but much to his alarm, the child plunged right in like some kind of dolphin. The shock was so much that he almost didn't know what to do with himself. Surely Zatch didn't know what he was doing..! By the time he reached the water's edge himself, though, he was met with but another surprise. Not only had Zatch managed to come back in one piece, but in very little time, and with a giant wriggling… yellowtail?

The professor had to catch his glasses before they slid right off his face. He had no idea what to say. That was possibly one of the most startling things he'd ever seen! What six-year-old boy could swim so well he could catch a fish in a river like that? He was unaware there were even yellowtail in that river to begin with. How uncanny...

The fish squirmed and thrashed in all directions, but Zatch held it firmly in his arms. He looked about to eat it when he paused.

"Good," thought Seitaro. "He's not going to try to eat it raw…"

"Do you want some, sir?" Zatch asked, wet bangs dripping into his face.

"I… uhm… no thank you. You gave me quite a scare there, Zatch. What were you thi—"

Without any warning whatsoever, Zatch turned the fish to face him, opened his mouth abnormally wide and began to stick it in, head and all. The fish, meanwhile, was still asphyxiating and squirming in his hands. The professor could only stare as this small boy consumed an entire raw fish in less than a minute. He did a clean job of it, too; when he was finished, all that remained was a completely bare fish skeleton, which, hardly a minute ago, had been housed by an actual fish.

"How on earth did you know there was yellowtail in that river?" the professor asked incredulously.

"I could smell them!" Zatch answered proudly, pointing to his little nose.

He could _smell_ one particular species of live fish that was in tons of water? This proved that by no means was Zatch a normal boy. But… he looked relatively normal, didn't he? (Well, except for a few little quirks…) Besides, what else could he really be?

Later that day, as the two headed back to the apartment, Zatch was even more talkative than usual. He seemed especially curious and energetic after having consumed an entire raw fish. The idea made Seitaro sick, but evidently raw fish was some kind of choice food for Zatch... especially if he was willing to jump into a river just to obtain one. Maybe wherever Zatch came from, that was normal. Yes. Lots of nationalities worldwide had culinary works that involved fish. Why, even his sushi back home in Japan had raw fish in it. …But he had never tried to eat a whole one like that.

Zatch fidgeted in his seat, playing with his seatbelt and looking out the window. "Professor," he began. It was the way he began most sentences. "Your son Kiyo… is he my age? I saw a picture of him before."

"Oh, that's from when he was little like you," Seitaro answered. "He's thirteen now. He turns fourteen on the…" A lengthy pause. Wasn't his birthday near the _beginning_ of this month? He mentally slapped himself. With work and Zatch, he had actually forgotten to send Kiyo something for his fourteenth birthday! Oh great…

Zatch obviously sensed his distress. "What's the matter?"

Professor Takamine closed his eyes for but a moment and sighed, turning onto the next road. "He turned fourteen this month," he commented with a quiet air of disappointment. "I can't believe I forgot to send him something. I told Hana I might not be able to call that day because of work, but…" He couldn't picture his son as being disappointed about this. Annoyed, maybe, but not disappointed. He seemed to loath the parental attention as it was. Attention of any kind seemed to annoy him, among other things. He'd rather lock himself in his room and read than socialize with his peers. Still, it was kind of crushing to forget his only son's birthday.

"Uh-oh! Did you forget?"

Seitaro didn't feel like turning to look at him. Argh, he'd bought that agenda for a reason… "Yes, I did," he said in a somewhat grave voice. "And I can only hope he'd not too displeased about it." What could he have gotten the boy, anyhow? He'd probably prefer some university textbooks to study from, for something to do, but what he really needed was a friend. Someone. Anyone. Kiyo needed someone his own age to talk to. He couldn't live his life with only text as his companion.

"That's not good!" Zatch remarked. "Maybe if you send him something anyway, he'll understand that you forgot!" He was aware of how long the professor spent each day marking papers, and how interested he was in teaching his classes. "Your students are lucky that you're their teacher, so Kiyo must feel lucky that you're his dad!"

"Ah, Kiyo's not like that, Zatch… He stopped being that way a long time ago. He's a fool, really. I wish I could help him. He's so caught up in himself and his intellect that he pushes everyone away."

"How come?"

The road seemed to be lasting forever, but Takamine felt that talking a little about his son might help him out a little. "He used to play with other children. But Kiyo… he's a genius. I was always so proud of him! So smart, and such a fast learner! I couldn't have a more intellectual son. He was always good at school—and good at making friends, too. But children change as they get older. Sometimes they're unfair. The world is like that. They started to treat him differently because he was smarter than they were, and they all knew it. Kiyo knew it, too. He tried to fit in with them anyway.

"After awhile, they didn't want much to do with him, with his good grades and his perfect answers. They were jealous, I guess. Kids will be kids. But Kiyo got sick of it. He thought that maybe if he couldn't hang around with them, they just weren't good enough for him, not smart enough. So he just rejected his peers. He got cold over time. Now he doesn't even go to school! He finds entertainment in sitting by himself and over-analyzing the teachers and their curriculum." He realized Zatch probably couldn't understand a great deal of what he'd said, but it felt good to get it off his shoulders, even if his listener was about six years old.

Zatch gave him a funny look, like he was trying his best to understand, but half of the dialogue was in a language he didn't understand. "Oh," he managed, and sat quietly.

"I'll re-explain to him later, in a way he can actually understand," the professor thought, and smiled to himself. Poor Zatch. He was only trying to help.

Professor Takamine sat marking papers again in the living room. Zatch was sitting close to the TV, drawn in by the bright colors and sound. He was humming intently, listening to the news lady babble on in her British accent. Every so often, Seitaro had gently reminded him not to sit so close, and the blond haired boy would scoot back a few feet, only to gradually move back to the screen all over again. Everyday things that had seemed so ordinary… so typical… all of those everyday things became refreshed and exciting again after Zatch excitedly shared his views on how great they were. He had found a few cartoons he'd quickly latched onto, and whenever he managed to catch one on television, he would watch with wide eyes as his favorite heroes did amazing things. Wow! He wanted to save people, too, just like these action heroes!

Seitaro ventured back into the kitchen, then into his bedroom, then the living room again… Where did that reference book go? He couldn't mark this assignment without it. Huh. It wasn't on the coffee table, either? He snapped his fingers. "I forgot it in the library the other night," he thought aloud. Zatch looked over his shoulder. Those lines on his face seemed so much more prominent in this lighting…

"Whatcha doing, professor?"

"I seem to have forgotten my book," he answered. "Would you like to come to the university with me to get it? I'll bet I forgot it in the library the other night." He glanced toward the clock. "Darn. It looks like I'm a little late… We'll have to do it in the morning, first thing. Be sure to remind me!"

"Yessir!" chimed Zatch enthusiastically.

"Professor! Professor!"

Seitaro Takamine rubbed at his eyes to clear some of the blur and sat up. Zatch was sitting readily on the end of his bed, already dressed, smile wide and bright eyes shining. The professor fumbled for his glasses on the bedside table and perched them on his nose, his vision sharpening. The clock read 9:45am. "Goodness, it's that time already..?" He sat up.

"Yessir!" It was becoming his customary reply. "You told me before when the school library opens! We can get there early, like you wanted."

"That's a good boy, Zatch," Professor Takamine smiled, and leaned forward to fondly ruffle the boy's blond hair with one hand. "I appreciate the assistance, you know. You can go grab yourself something to eat while I get dressed, alright?" He trusted Zatch wouldn't make _too_ much of a mess.

In short order, they had headed off toward the university. It was a sunny morning, and the teacher's part of the parking lot wasn't too vacant, despite the time. The professors at this university were all very devoted for the most part. Takamine took some folders full of paper out of the car and went for the side entrance. The hallways were quiet, and not many people of any kind were around. Any classes there were this morning had likely commenced by now, leaving the grounds quite empty. The two headed down familiar halls and doorways until they reached the library.

It was a serious place, with an old-style charm. The shelves were all polished wood and well-organized with all kinds of thick volumes and books on all sorts of subjects. It wasn't limited like the shelves in Takamine's office. Upon wandering into a place like this, one would feel like they could find any book in the whole world in that library alone. It was nice and wide. The floors, like most others in the university, were shiny and reflected the ceiling lights and furniture on their smooth surfaces. Not one seemed to be scuffed. Zatch liked to look at his blurry reflection as he walked along it.

The professor consulted the librarian, who verified that he has indeed forgotten his book there, and gladly returned it to him. Seitaro lead Zatch back to his office, folder tucked under one arm, and text in his free hand. He would finish off this marking all in one go. Unlocking the door, he took in the familiar smell of home. His office felt more like home than his apartment did. He spent a great deal of time here, after all. He hadn't been around as often since Zatch had come around, but he didn't mind.

Zatch immediately began to explore the familiar room. The window was his favorite part, because it was so big. Sunshine poured through it and across the shiny tiles on the floor. Takamine sat down at his desk and unloaded his work. Ah, he loved his desk. Everything he could possibly need was in it. His eyes strayed over the photo, tucked safely beneath his other work. His lovely wife and small son smiled at him from within it. Those were good days. He glanced up to Zatch again, who was spinning the globe round and round, as though he thought it would do something if it were going fast enough. Sticking out of a broad pocket in the back of his "dress" was the red book. He had brought it with him? Hmmm.

It took just over an hour and a half to clear away the last of those assignments. Seitaro tapped the stack against his desk to straighten it, and set it down amongst his other work. Zatch had moved on to investigate a poster with many labels he couldn't understand. He turned to look at the professor, and it became apparent all over again just how doll-like he looked with his small features and wide eyes.

Zatch smiled at the dark-haired man. He felt so happy to be able to have met someone like this! Without his memory, he still felt a little lost, but less so since he had some kind of friend. The professor had taken good care of him since they'd met. He only wished he could do something to help in return. It didn't seem like there was much, because his memory was still as much of a blank as it had been upon his arrival here, but maybe, just maybe, there was something he could do. Professor Takamine deserved it.

"Sir?" he passed a bookshelf and approached the side of the professor's desk. Seitaro turned his wooden chair to face the boy. He'd always preferred old fashioned chairs over those funny swiveling ones meant for computer desks.

"Yes, Zatch?"

His arms seemed to have disappeared into his dark drape of clothing. "I'd like to do you a favor!"

"A favor?" echoed Seitaro in mild surprise. "What for?"

"For saving my life!" Zatch said. "You did a lot for me, and I would like to thank you! Is there anything I could do for you? I'm small, so maybe I can't do much, but I'll try anything!"

Well… he _had_ skipped out on Kiyo's birthday gift, and what he really needed was a friend. Maybe Zatch's eager perspective could teach Kiyo a few things. Maybe Zatch's quirks would teach him patience. Yes. Now would be the time to re-explain Kiyo to Zatch. If anyone could help now, it was this little boy with his strange clothes and electrically orange eyes. Perhaps Kiyo, with his vast intellect, could even help to decipher Zatch's book, and thus help him return home. This seemed like a win-win situation.

"My only son is a fool," he recapped. "Spoiled by his gift of genius, Kiyo has even quit going to school." He leaned forward in his chair. This would be his request. "Please," he said. "Can you save him from his folly?"

Zatch's face lit up. He would be glad to help a friend, and if it meant going to Japan to do it, so be it. "You bet! It's a deal, sir!" He gave a bright salute. "I'll help this fool Kiyo, even if it costs me my life!"

Seitaro laughed. "Thank you, Zatch. It would mean a lot, and hopefully when we meet again, Kiyo will be a little better of a person, thanks to you." He paused. "But… how will you get to Japan?"

"I'll find a way," Zatch assured with confidence, and the professor felt he could trust him; he was full of surprises. "And to find your house, I'll just follow my nose!" He pointed to it again. If that nose could find live fish, it was hard to doubt what else it was capable of.

"I'll write a letter for my son," Professor Takamine said. "When you reach my house, please give it to him so that he'll understand what's going on." In short order, he had produced a letter in neat Japanese writing, cleanly folded and addressed in Japanese to Kiyo. Zatch promptly tucked it into his pocket and happily headed for the door, as though the trip he were about to make were a normal one.

Seitaro felt sad to let him go, but he trusted this strange little boy, and could only hope for the best. Zatch would help to change Kiyo's stubborn view on things, even just a little. "Well," he said softly to himself as the little figure headed off. "Good luck, Zatch Bell…"

**END**


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